Chapter 33 #3
Azrael chuckled, and he smiled. “He will not, but that is only because he understands the necessity of what happens and that you are in good company and peace. You find comfort in the valley, and as such, the only ones who are suffering are Yuless and that mortal you brought home with you. But it is a passing distress. You will not appreciate the trip the hospital, but that is nothing new. They are only going to confirm that the damage has been addressed. You will also receive some medication, which you will protest taking because protesting will earn you excellent reactions from your dragon. Now that we are here, is there anything you would like to see before you return to the mortal coil?”
“That was an excellent attempt at deflection, Azrael. How does this change things for dragons?”
“It is simple. You will have daughters, and those daughters will be dragons.”
I blinked. “Oh.”
“You are truly a dense being sometimes. But I suppose it is a tolerable failing. You are what you are, and expecting you to question everything rather than change what is right in front of you would be asking a bit much. You are Fate in all ways, and that does mean allowing life to begin and end as it will, along with all the steps in between. While we are here, do allow me to show you the falls. I think it will provide perspective.”
* * *
Time had no true meaning in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and after a pleasant stroll across the fertile but unsown landscape, Azrael led me to a place where the ground fell away into roiling clouds of mist. A thundering falls joined with the boundary between life and death, and the weft and warp of the grand weave of life flowed into the mysteries beyond.
“What is this?”
“This is the source of all life and death. View this as a doorway, the one needed for all life to begin and for all life to end.” The archangel pointed at the boundary wall. “This is the strongest point of the boundary, and this is where the tired souls rest.”
“Within the wall?”
“Yes. You might say the boundary is the resting place of all soul energy while awaiting rebirth. The seeds of life are connected through this point, and when the seed germinates, the soul will slip through the falls and take root in the body being formed for it. Some souls are so scarred from their lives they are terrified of this place. Follow.”
I obeyed the archangel, marveling at how any being could handle such a burden.
“It isn’t a burden for me, I assure you. It is just a part of what it is to live and to die.”
We came to a section of the boundary where the weave’s darkness somehow bore splotches of the deepest black.
Azrael pressed his hand to the surface over one such spot.
“This soul has been at rest for many a long year, and it is time for it to be reborn, but unlike most, it requires a custodian. I warn you, should you choose to assist me in this matter, it will have consequences.”
“All actions and inactions have consequences,” I reminded him. “But I would like to know what sort of consequences I might face for making a choice either way.”
“This soul was once a dragon from the same clutch that had hatched Yuless, Wyness. Yuless adored Wyness, as his little brother became his first friend and companion in life. But Wyness met a woman, and while she bore him fruit, the little one perished a few days after her first breath. It broke them both. The woman walked into the dark waters of a turbulent sea and joined her daughter here. Wyness lingered, but when the magic faded for the first time in the world, he did not seek out the safety and security of a node, and thus he too came to be here. Should Wyness be reborn, it shall be without memory but with a sense of identity. He will know his name is Wyness. He will know his beloved brothers by name, and he will understand the burden of loss; not even my father can take these things from him. The Universe won’t. ”
“He is one of her beloved children.”
Azrael nodded, and his expression turned pained. “The Universe is the mother of all life, but she does not grieve the same way humans or the divine do. To her, death is a necessity. In some ways, I feel as though she tests us to see if we might be as worthy of eternal life as we wish.”
All things lived, and eventually, all things died—except for the Universe, who would never receive rest, if things were as we believed. “Can the Universe die?”
“She could will herself, and everything with her, out of existence if she wished. But there would be a new spark, a new being like her to take her place, because all existence is a cycle. She understands this, and she has embraced it. She is not like the Fates, so do not worry. She is here because she wishes to be here,” Azrael assured me.
“Tell me, what do you think when you behold my face?”
“Your father is a pretty boy, but you could use a few extra layers of skin to keep your poor skull where it belongs,” I replied, allowing myself a playful grin.
“Should Wyness be reborn, and should a mysterious daughter appear for reasons involving that big comfy bed I happen to have in my room, is their future a bright one?”
“They will both be raised in paradise, and he shall be the beloved little brother of all the world’s dragons, but he will be remarkably unspoiled for you will not allow a spoiled child underfoot.
Your daughter will be terrifying in her similarities to you, and she would be the option for you to rest and for your portfolio, such as it is, to pass down.
And because they are both dragons, they will have entire flocks of baby dragons over their many long years, and they will infest your orchards, drive you wild, and fulfill your soul’s every need.
There are few bad consequences from his rebirth, but much like you, your daughter will have no worries about even ten thousand years of life.
And because their children will be dragons, Wyness can thrive.
The Universe, I feel, made a mistake with him. ”
My heart hurt for the sleeping dragon. “He is a father who loves children and loved his wife.”
“He is.”
“What happened to his wife?”
“She did not share her dragon’s depth of love, and she returned to the mortal coil many times.
Her soul eventually found her eternal companion, and they cycle through what it is to live and die.
The Universe repays her debts. Wyness will find his eternal companion in your daughter, even should they return here to slumber for a while.
But neither will fear the falls from this point forward.
It will be a great torrent of light for them should they find their way back here.
The future is shrouded beyond a certain point. ”
“His daughter,” I guessed.
“Indeed.”
“But how will Wyness be reborn?”
“The Universe is willing, and she will provide him with a new form. You will need to create his node, for he does not have one, and much like your Yuless, he is a being of pure magic and will require one. The eldest dragon souls do.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
Azrael pointed in the direction of the thundering falls.
“That is the birthplace of magic, an eternally renewing resource. It will only strengthen in time as new souls are brought into life and find rest here. Spin a thread, add it to the great weave as warp and weft, and draw it to the mortal coil. It will come with you when you go.”
“Will my daughter require a node?”
Azrael smiled, and he shook his head. “All future dragons will thrive, do not worry. Only Wyness needs what only you can provide. And should a future youngling require a node, you will have no trouble creating one. Your node is where the falls reenter the world, after all. Did you not see it in the infinite strands in the great circle?”
I sucked in a breath. “That’s where the boundary between life and death is?”
“It is now, because that is what it means to be Fate. Life, death, and everything before it, during it, and after it, are part of your weave. The Universe no longer needs to handle quite so much, for your very presence allows for her to rest and enjoy some peace, too. You are a gift to us—and you are a gift for her as well.”
If I spent too long thinking about it, I would surely give myself the kind of headache I wished on nobody. I gestured to the wall where he touched it. “How do I get him out of there?”
“Place your hand on mine, and I will show you how souls are shepherded in as much comfort as I can offer.”